With all of the hi-tech tackle---shake, rattle and roll---one lure stands out
as heavy metal. It may be old fashioned in this era of secret scents, holographic
designs, and Asian art, but the 20 year old dinosaur is not yet extinct. I am
talking about the Silver Buddy blade baits. Still a guarded tool in the tackle
boxes of the old pros across the country, the Silver Buddy lure is standing the
test of time, and catching anything that swims. A family owned business for decades, SIlver Buddy has survived as corporate giants swallow up the smaller tackle-makes! Today Silver Buddy orginator, Buddy Banks still makes them the old fashioned way, here in the USA...one-at-a-time!

Known for decades as a "cold water" bait, this hunk of metal is
now being tied on by pro bass fishermen in the middle of the "dog days"
of August! Take for example Bassmaster Carl Maxfield, always a top finisher, but
never the winner. When the water was 80 degrees on the Potomac River
in Maryland, he won out over the top 150 competitors by using a 1/4 ounce Silver
Buddy. The secret was out and sales of the 1/4 ounce bait quadrupled since
Maxfield won the tournament. In Feb 2008, a Maryland tournament angler caught the Potomac largemouth record, over 11 pounds!, on a Silver Buddy...however, after some talking he eventually attributed the lunker to another lure...but those close to the event were told at the tournament weigh-in, that it was a Silver Buddy that fooled this record breaker!

What's so magical about this lure for all seasons that time has not forgotten?
Upon first glance, it looks like a child has designed this simple fish-shaped
blade with a hunk of lead and a couple of hooks. It is easy to cast, even into
the wind. It can be fished at any depth, and when lifted or pulled though the
water, it gives off a tremendous vibration, like driving your car tires over the
reflector strips on the highway. It only comes in two colors, the silver Silver
Buddy and the gold Silver Buddy in freshwater. Over the years, a saltwater series and sizes from 1/8 all the way to the giant 4 ounce Big Gamefish Series were available.

While simple in design, this lure is your buddy! It can be cast and retrieved
like a lipless crankbait, while being able to penetrate just about any depth like
a diving crankbait, or burned like a spinnerbait across grass beds near the surface.
It can be jigged vertically, again, at any depth. And, it can be crawled or dragged
along the bottom like a plastic bait. By varying the line and lure size, anglers
can adjust this tool to fit the job, creating the precise depth or speed presentation.

Everywhere my fishing travels take me across the country, I carry some Silver
Buddys with me getting through the airport metal detectors is a real experience.
If not for the hooks, I would have a tough time explaining that these are fishing
lures. I have caught bass (largemouth, smallmouth, stripers, white bass, rock
bass). I have caught perch, white and yellow crappie, however you say it walleye,
catfish, carp, pickerel, pike, muskie bluegill, bluefish. The point is that these
things catch anything that swims!

Buddy Banks still builds his Silver Buddy lures, not in his Kentucky home, but at his retirement home in Florida! Now mind
you, this is not a robotic computerized unionized assembly line. This is American
entrepreneurship at it's finest, a definite field trip for the Wharton School
of Business. No giant sucking sound with jobs here going to Mexico or to a Nike
factory in Bangladesh. This is an American-made product dedicated to America's
sport. The blades are created at a machine shop; the rest of the process is in-house,
nearly literally, at the "factory" in Bank's garage. Lead is poured, hooks are attached, and the lures are placed
in the package, ready to catch fish.

The Silver Buddy Lure Company makes one lure the Silver Buddy. Their
product is so well branded, they're the Kleenex of blade baits fishermen
call all blade baits "Silver Buddy". Sure there are other companies
making similar lures, but they have other fallback products. The trend in the
tackle industry is big fish swallowing up little fish to form a bigger fishier
company. Silver Buddy stands alone. The success of Silver Buddy, the company,
sinks or swims with Silver Buddy, the lure. Besides a few size additions and saltwater
versions, the Silver Buddy company has remained unchanged since it was founded
by (Silver) Buddy Banks. Buddy and legendary smallmouth fisherman,
Billy Westmoreland tweaked this lure and the legend began.

In its 20+ year history, Buddy Banks was the face, factory and promoter of the Silver Buddy. For several years in the 1990's his son Kendall stepped up the promotion, distribution of the famous lure. Kendall's wife Brenda put hooks on the
lures after she got the kids off to school. She often referred to herself as the
Silver Buddy "pin cushion"; a compliment to her ability to put sharp hooks on the lures without giving blood. The 3rd generation, Jason Banks and Courtney Banks also participated.Sadly, Kendall's young life was cut short just a few years ago. Buddy kept the company and the American dream alive, talking to tackle retailers, fishermen, and
of course, the media, spreading the lore of the lure. Everywhere there are fishermen, there are Silver Buddy stories and secrets. Everyone seems
to have their own way of fishing this lure, but the common thread in all of these
stories is the "Silver Buddy Shimmy" the vertical, open-handed
gesture indicating the vibration given off by this lure just as entertaining
to watch as it is to listen to someone trying to mimic the noise their car is
making to their mechanic. This is the fun part of the business.

For the angler reeling for their finned reward, Silver Buddy's heavy metal
is music to their ears. For Buddy Banks, there is a Silver Buddy lining to
every fish story.